The following is a guest contributed post from Adroit Digital GM Scott German. Maybe you have stuck a toe in the water with tablet advertising or you are trying …

The following is a guest contributed post from Adroit Digital GM Scott German.

Maybe you have stuck a toe in the water with tablet advertising or you are trying to see if it is a viable means of advertising and marketing to consumers and prospects. You are not alone. As you embrace 2014 I’m sure you are steeped in planning to develop strategies that reach your target market across media. What is the right mix of digital, mobile and social? Where do tablets fit in?

A recent Tablet study sought to better understand how consumers use their tablets and if they are receptive toward advertising and marketing while using them. The net-net is that tablet penetration has continued to increase at a rapid pace and male and female adults LOVE them. In fact, 55% of respondents said they would consider replacing their PCs with a tablet. Almost half have 2 tablets in their households.

Tablets aren’t just for the younger demographic as you might have assumed: 54% are spending an hour or more daily on their tablets. This stat is even higher in older respondents: 45-54 and 55+, 64% and 58% respectively.

So as tablets have become a mainstay daily activity to American adults, what are people doing on them? Some key findings include:

Tablets are used for Entertainment: 52 percent use their tablet to watch TV or video.

Tablet 411: 50 percent use their tablets to look up information.

Tablet Research: 49 percent of adult consumers use their tablet to research products and services.

Even better, 45% are more likely to respond to an ad on their tablet opposed to their personal computer. I think this number is bound to increase in 2014.

So what makes adults engage with ads on tablets? Well, the same thing that makes them engage across all media vehicles. It is important that messages be appropriately targeted and relevant. Certainly this puts a greater emphasis on media and creative strategy. As challenging as it sounds, just think back to the basics. Ask yourself how you can craft and deliver the right message at the right time in order to yield the most positive results.

The study found that the sweet spot of delivering ads on tablets was between 7 pm and 12 am. About 39% of adults were said to be on their tablets at that time. More women (44%) were on than men (34%) during those hours.

The top advertiser categories where adults are most likely to respond to on their tablets were:

Food and Restaurants 44%

Entertainment and Gaming 41%

Apparel 32%

This only scratches the surface of the potential of this media. Americans both young and older are living, shopping and interacting in a tablet world. Brand advertisers and marketers should capitalize on these findings and think of tablets as not just a device but as a way of life. I don’t know about you but I’d sure love to be a part of a consumer’s daily life.